Typewriting machine



J. H. MOLONEY.

'IYPEWRITING MACHINE.

Mar. 20, 1923.

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

FILED APR 12. 1921- Mar. 20, 1923.

' J. H. MOLONEY.

TYPEWRITING MACHIN'E.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FILED APR-12,192]- Jl atented Mar. 2h), W23.

JOHN H. IaIOLONEY, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOPJ T0 UNDERWOOD TYEE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATIQN OLE DELAWARE.

TYPEWBITIHG MACHINE.

Application filed April 12,

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MOLONEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn Borough, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriting machines provided with card-holding and feed ing devices, and more particularly to means for preparing stencil cards by typing thereon.

In preparing ,such cards, the ordinary typewriter ribbon is either removed from its gt'rlClE or the ribbon-carrier or vibrator rendered inoperative to carry the ribbon to the printing point. The types will then strike the stencil material directly, and no ink impression will be made thereon as in ordinary typewriting. It is desirable, however, to mark the impressions so that they may be easily read and corrected if necessary. To effect such marking, use may be made of any suitable means, such as an ink ribbon or web fed between the platen and the card at printing point. The impressions on the stencil card or material are thus inked on the back thereof and writing is made legible.

In carrying out the invention, provision may be made of a segmental platen of sufficient size, so that a portion thereof will always be maintained back of the printing line in its movement, about its shaft or axle, from one limiting position to the other. Provision may also be made of a plate of celluloid or other suitable resilient and yieldable material secured to the platen to provide a suitable surface upon which to cut the stencils by means of the usual typewriter type. Actuation of the platen may be effected by any suitable line-space mechanism or by a finger-wheel on the platenshaft.

Separate holders may be provided for the opposite ends of the stencil cards to be used, and these maybe mounted on supports so as to he slidable along the same but held thereon. In order that stencil cards of different lengths may be used, the supports for the end holders may be made adjustable longitu- 1921. Serial are. 460,721.

dinally of the platen-shaft or axle, as, for example, by slidably mounting the supports on a bar extending along the front of the platen, and by providing means for clainpbe made of a suitable ribbon or weband of means for feeding the same over the platen. To effect such feeding of the ribbon, provision may be made of two winding cores splined on shafts having intermeshing gears.

Actuation of the gears inay be efi'ected by means of a pawl to engage the teeth thereof, said pawl being connected with the platen so as to actuate the gear-wheels when the platen is being advanced, and to move idly with respect to said gear-wheels during the return movement of the platen. Only one of the winding cores should be operated at any one time, and this result may be obtained by providing means whereby each one of the gear-wheels may be connected with or rel leased from the shaft upon which it is mounted. Thus, if the ribbon has been fed in one direction by fastening one of the gears to its shaft and releasing the other, re-

versal of the movementof the ribbon may be effected by releasing from its shaft the gear which was fastened-thereto, and by fastening to the other shaft the gear which had previously rotated idly thereon.

In a modified form of my invention, pro-' $5 vision may be made of a cylindrical platen loose on the platen-shaft or axle and plates or members adjacent the ends of the platen and fixedly secured to the platen-shaft. Each of these plates may be provided with two W stop-members to engage with a fixed stop in the platen-frame and thereby limit the movement of the platen-shaft in both directions. Each of the plates may also be provided with two fingers extending forwardly @55 into slots arranged one above the other in each holder for the end of a card.

Other features and advantageswill hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front View of the carriage of an Underwood standard typewriting machine; with the invention applied thereto, certain of the parts being broken away to show the underlying structure.

Figure 2 is' afragmentary perspective view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is-a sectional side view, showing the platen and the card in their initial positions.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the position of the platen and the card when typing has been completed.

Figure 5 is aview, similar to Figure 4, of a modified form of the invention.

A platen-shaft or axle 10 is journaled in i the ends 11 of the platen-frame, which is mounted in' a carriage 12supported at its -rear on a rail 13.

Inasmuch as cards or stencils, upon which typing is to be effected, are comparatively ort in length, provision may be made of a a platen 14 only slightly greater in length than the cards to be used. The platen may consist of a backing member 15 in the form of a section of a cylindrical shell and plates or memberslfi in the form of sectors supportin the backing member 15 at its ends and a justably secured'in sition on the platen-shaft '10 b means 0 set-screws 17.

In order to limit t e movement of the platen in both directions, provision may be made of a stop-finger 18 projecting from the hub of each of the members 16, and alsoof a rod- 19 supported in the ends of the platen-frame and '1 ing between the stop-fin ers 18 and the a jacent radial edges 20 o thecorrefsponding members 16, so that, when the platen is in the initial position,the radial edge 20 of each of the sectors will. be in contact with the rod 19, as shown in Figure 3', and so that, upon advance of the platen to its limiting position, the stopfingers 18 will engage said rod 19, as shown in Figure 4.

The platen 14 may be advanced either by a finger-wheel 21 'on the platen-shaft 10 or by means of the usual Underwood line-space mechanism bomprising a line-space lever 22, a slide 23 and a ratchet-wheel 24 fixed on the platen-shaft v10. Return of the platen to its initial position may be effected by the finger-wheel 21.

In order to provide a suitable surface on the platen for supporting the stencil ma terial of the stencil cards 25 while typing is being efiectedthereon, the platen 14 may be stencil material before typing thereon are more fully described in the patent to Knurck, No. 1,260,209, dated March 19, 1918.

The stencil cards 25, comprise comparatively heavy frames 30, which may be of any suitable material, such as card-board, and the stencil material 31 may be stretched across the opening of each. frame and firmly attached to the frame.

In order to support the stencil cards 25 adjacent the printing line, and to guide them for movement past said line, provision may be made of holders '32 for the ends of the cards, said holders being slidably supported for u and down movementonsupports or brackets 33, which may be adjustable loiigitudinally-of the platen to-enable cards of spring 36 having arearwardly-projecting portion-37 which will engage the end of the stencil frame and yieldingly hold the same against the rib 34, during the inser-.

tion of the stencil card and then snap back over the upper edge of the card to retain the same in 'the'hplder. Each holder 32 may also be provided with a bracket 38 extending downwardly from the forward edge thereof and having a stop or rest 39, upon which the lower edge of the frame of the stencil card 25 rests when the stencil card is positioned in the machine.

The sliding connection between each of the end holders 32 and the corresponding support 33 may be effected by means of a rib or flange 40 on the support 33 extending into a groove 41' in the end holder, and, to prevent the sidewise withdrawal of said rib 40 from groove 41, provision may be made of a rib 42 projecting laterally from the rib I 40, so as to enter a groove 43 at one side of groove 41.

. The supports 33 may be slidably mounted on a bar 44 connected at its ends by screws 45 to brackets 46, which, in turn, are connected with the ends'll of the platen-frame by any suitable means, such as screws 47. As

herein disclosed, each of the supports 33 is provided at its lower end with a block 48 provided with a slot 49,-open to the rear, to receive said bar 44, the side walls of said slot being undercut to receive flanges 50 projecting from the top and bottom of bar 44.

it will be seen that by providing end holders 32, which are disconnected, and by sup- 1,4Pt8,8 1o

porting them on supports 33, which are longitudinally movable along bar 44, the cardholding and guiding devicesmay readily be adjusted to hold the cards of different lengths. Supports 33 may be secured in adjusted position along bar 44- bymeans of set-screws 51, threaded, into blocks 48 and. provided with knurled heads 52, by which the screws. may be caused to engage the bar 44 or be withdrawn therefrom.

Suitable means must be provided for feed ing the holders 32 upwardly, to enable typ ing along difierent lines on the stencil card. F or this purpose, arms 53 may be loosely mounted on the platen-axle 10 at the outer sides of the members 16, and provided with arcuate slots 54 concentric with the axis of the platen-axle 10, so that the arms 53 may be secured in different adjusted positions, by means of set-screws 55 passing through said slots and threaded into the end plates or members 16 of the platen. At its forward end, each of the arms 53 is provided with a finger 56, whichprojects into a slot 57 in the corresponding end holder 32, the slot 57 being of sufficient length to permit adjustment of the support 33 longitudinally of the bar 14: without breaking the connection between arm 53 and the holder 32.

In order to render the impressions on the stencil material visible, sothat they may easily be read, a web or ribbon 58, which may bean ink ribbon of the usual type, is carried around the platen 14 between the stencil card 25, on which typing is to' be edected, and the celluloid sheet or plate 26. The ribbon 58 may be fed past the printing line by means which will now be described.'

Two winding cores or spools 59 and 60 are mounted on shafts 61 and 62, respectively. which are journaled in upright arms of a U-shaped bracket'63, which, in turn, is secured to a bar 64 by suitable means, such as screws 65. The bar 64 is supported at its ends on the ends 11 of the platen-frame, and is secured thereto by any suitable means, such as screws 66.

The cores or spools 59 and 60 are caused to rotate with the shafts 61 and 62, respectively, by means of splines 67. on the shafts extending into grooves 68 in the cores 59 and 60, respectively, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. At their left-hand ends, the shafts 61 and 62 are held againstwithdrawal from the left-hand upright ,of the U-shaped bracket 63 by means of collars 691 secured on said shafts by means of screws 70.

' ed on the right-hand ends of shafts 61 and 62, respectively, are intermeshing pinions or gears 71 and '72, respectively, of which the hubs 73 and 74. respectively, are engaged at their outer ends by means of collars 75, which are held on the shaft by means of setscrews 76. A setscrew '77 is threaded into the hub 73, and is provided with a knurled Mount.

head 78, so that it may readily be turned to fix the gear 71 on the shaft 61, or to release the gear from the shaft to enable it to turn loosely thereon. In the same way, the connection of the gear 72 with the shaft 62 may be controlled by a set-screw 79 threaded into the hub 74 and provided with a knurled head 80 for turning the same.

The right-hand upright of the bracket 63 is provided with an extension 81, on which a pawl 82, to engage the gear 72, is pivoted by any suitable means, such as a shouldered screw 83, so that, whenthe pawl 82 is in engagement with the gear 72, the latter may be turned in one direction, but will be locked against turning in the other direction.

In order to actuate the pinions or' gears 71 and 72, a pawl 84 is mounted on a pivot 85 on' one of the end. members 16 of the platen, and a tooth 86 at the. upper end thereof is normally maintained in operative connection with the teeth of the pinion 71 by means of a spring 87 connected thereto at one end and at the other end'to the adjacent arm 53. The ribbon 58, extending between the winding cores 59 and 60, .is passed around a guiding roll 88 on a rod 89, which is supported on arms 90 extending rearwardly from the uprights of the bracket 63, and also around a guiding roll 91 mounted on a rod 92, supported at its ends in the ends 11 of theplaten-frame. By this arrangement the ribbon 58 at the rear of the platen is guided so as notto interfere with the moving parts and to be suitably directed to the lower part of the platen.

When the set-screw 77 is-in eflective position and set-screw 79 is in inedective position, as shown in Figure 1, actuation of the pawl 84 will turn the gear 71 in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 3, and wind the ribbon 58 on core 59'. .It will be seen that the core 60 on the shaft 62 willbe rotated in a'counterclockwise direction while the gear 72, which is now loose on the shaft it will be evident that, by releasing setscrew 77 and tightening set-screw 79, the gear 71 will be rendered ineffective on the shaft 61 and the gear 72eifective on the shaft 62, so that actuation of the gearslf, and 72 will cause the ribbon 58 to be wound on the core 60 and unwound from the core 59.

In use, the supports 33 are adjusted along the bar 14, so as to place the end holders 32 at the proper distance apart to receive the ends of the frames of the stencil cards 25; a stencil card 25 may then be inserted, the deflectors 35 on the end holders moving the frame of the stencil card into engagement ion held in this position by means of the rearwardly-projecting portions 37 of the leafsprings 36. At this time, the platen 14 will be in the position shown in Figure 3, and the stencil will be in proper position for impressions on the first line thereof, such impressions being made by swinging type-bars 93 upwardly and rearwardly to bring types 94-thereon into engagement with the stencil material. As herein disclosed, no provision is made for shifting the platen, and, consequently, only one type is provided on each type-bar. Upon actuation of the line-space lever 22, the platen will be line-spaced and the end holders 32 raised to bring the stencil card to aposition to receive another line of impressions. At the same time, the pawl 84 will rotate the gears 71 and 72, and, if the set-screws 7 7 and 79 are" positioned, as shown in Figure 1, the ribbon 58 will be wound on core 59 and unwound from core 60. After line-spacing the platen 14 a plurality of times, it will finally reach its Figure 4 position with the fingers 18 in engagement with the stop-rod 19. The stencil card may then be removed, the platen returned to its Figure 3 position by means of the finger-wheel 21, and another stencil card inserted. It will be seen that, upon the re turn movement of the platen 14, the pawl 84 will ride idly over the tooth of the pinion 71.- When, after typing on a plurality of stencil cards 25, the ribbon 58 is substantially Wound oil of core 60 upon core 59, the movement of the ribbon 5 8 may be reversed by loosening the set-screw 77 by means of the knurled head 78 and by tightening.set-- screw 79 by means of its knurled head 80.

Actuation of the line-spacing mechanism will then efiect a winding of the ribbon 58 from core 59 upon core 60.

In the modification shown in Figure 5,-a cylindrical platen 95 is loosely mounted on the platen-shaft 10, and, adjacent each end thereof, plates or members 96 are fixed on the shaft 10 by means of set-screws 97 Each of these plates 96 may be provided with stopfingers 98, so that, after a limited movement of the plate 96 in either direction, one of these stop-fingers 98 will engage a stoprod 99. The pawl 84 of the ribbon-actuating mechanism may in this form be pivoted at 100 on one of the plates 96, and may be held 1 in operative relation with pinion 71 by means of spring 87, connected at one end ,to the pawl 84. and at the other to the plate 96 on which the pawl 84- is pivoted. In this form, also, each of the end holders, here designated by 101, may be slotted so as to receive two fingers 102, forming part of an arm 103 secured to the plates 96 by means of screws 104. The end holders 101 may also be different in shape from the end holders 32, and the stencil cards 25 may be frictiona-lly held therein by means of leaf-springs 105.

independently adjustable to properly space the holders in accordance with the length 01 the card in use, and means connecting said holders to the platen to slide said holders on their supports for line-feeding the card past the printing line concomitantly with the rotation of the platen.

' 2. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, means whereby cards of different lengths may be guided past the printing line, comprising a holder for each end of the card in use, a support for each of said holders along which the latter is slidable, located below the same, 'along which said a member, parallel to the print-ing line and supports are adjustable to properly space the holders in accordance with the length of the printing line, comprising fingers projecting into slots in said holders, the slots being of sufficient length to permit adjustment of the supports to vary the distance between the holders as required.

3. A card-holding and feeding device for a typewriter, whereby a card may be supported in proper position relative to the platen and actuated for feeding movement past the printing line, comprising a holder for each end of the card in use, a support for each holder, the connection between each holder and its support being such that the former may slide on the latter transversely to the printing line, but will be held thereon, a member .on which said supports are independently adjustable longitudinally of the platen, and a connection from the platen to each of said holders for sliding said holders on their supports concomitantly with the rotation of the platen.

4. In a typewriting machine. in combination, a platen, a platenqshaft, card-holding and guiding means, comprising holders for the ends of cards, supports on which said end-holders are slidable for movementpast the printing line, means enabling adjustment of said supports longitudinally of the platen shaft, and means to actuate said end-holders from said shaft to slide on said supports.

5. In a typewriting machine. in combinaand guiding vmeans, comprising holders for the ends of cards, supports on which said end holders are slidable for movement past the printing line, means enabling adjustment of said supports longitudinally of said platen-shaft, and'means to actuate said end holders, comprising fingers Connected with said shaft and extending into slots in said end holders, said slots, being of sufficient length that adjustment of said supports longitudinally of the platen-shaft may be effected with varying the distance between the fingers co-operating with said end holders.

6. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen comprising a segment of a cylindrical shell, sector elements connected to said segment at its ends, a shaft on which .said elements are secured, a clip at each edge of said segment providing recesses into which may be sprung the edges of a resilient backing plate of suitable material upon which to cut stencils, and means to limit the move ment of the platen, comprising two stopportions on each sector element, and a fixed member with which the corresponding stopportions on the difi'erent segment elements engage when the platen reaches either of its limiting positions.

7. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen-shaft, a platen having endplates fixed on said shaft and each end-plate having two stop-portions, a fixed member positioned so as to be engaged by said stopportions to limit the movement of said platen for each plate, an arm adjustably secured to said plate, and for each arm a slidably-mounted end-holder slotted to receive the forward end of said am so as to be operated thereby.

8. In a typewriting machine, in combina tion, a platen, a platen-shaft, and means for feeding a web around the platen, comprising two shafts, winding cores splined thereon, intermeshing gearswheels on said shafts, means whereby either wheel may be connected with its shaft to rotate the same or may be released to rotate'idly thereon, and means to actuate one of said gear-wheels in one direction whereby the direction of movement of said web will depend upon which gear-wheel. is connected with its shaft.

9. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, a platen-shaft, means to limit the movement of said platen-shaft, and means for feeding a web around the platen, comprising two shafts, winding cores splined thereon, intermeshing gear-wheels on said shafts, means whereby either Wheel may be connected with its shaft to rotate the same or may be released to rotate idly thereon, means to actuate one of said gear-wheels in one direction whereby the direction of move- -ment of said web will depend upon which gear-Wheel is connected with its shaft, and means whereby said platen-shaft when turned in one direction will actuate one of said gear-wheels, and when turned in the other direction will move idly with respect thereto.

10. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, a platen-shaft, means to limit the movement of said platen-shaft, and means for feeding a web around the platen, comprising two shafts, winding cores splined thereon, intermeshing gear-wheels on. said shafts, means whereby either wheel may be connected with its shaft to rotate the same or may be released to rotate idly thereon, means whereby said platen-shaft when turned in one direction will actuate one of said wheels, and when turned in the other direction will move idly with respect thereto, and means co-operating with one of said gear-wheels to permit move- 'ment in one direction and to prevent movement in the reverse direction.

11. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, a platen-shaft, arms pivoted on said shaft. and adjustably secured to the ends of the platen, end holders for card supports on which said end holders are slidable and adjustable across the machine, said end holders being provided with slots into which the forward ends of said arms project, and

means to feed a web around said platen, comprising a gear-wheel and a pawl pivoted on one of the ends of the platen.

12. A holder to co-operate with an end of a card to support the same in a typewriting machine while the card is being fed past the printing line, comprising an inwardly projecting rib having a front face to receive the rear face of the end of the card, a deflector to guide the card into engagement with the rib, a downwardly extending bracket having a-rest projecting at right angles thereto to receive the lower edge of the card, and a spring clip having a rearwardly extending portion adapted to be forced outwardly by the card during the insertion of the latter and to engage the upper edge of the card and maintain the latter in the holder when fully inserted.

JOHN H. MOLONEY- till 

